17 Mar 2002 #0211.html

Grant Matthew Nelson's Blessing

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Dear Paul and Kate, Melanie and Jared, Bridget and Justin, Sara, Ben and Sarah, Heather, Audrey, Rachel, and Matt via hardcopy,

cc: file, Tony Hafen, Pauline Nelson via mail, Sara and Des Penny, Lloyd and Luana Warner, Diane Cluff, and Maxine Shirts.

Welcome to "Thoughtlets." This is a weekly review of an idea, belief, thought, or words that will hopefully be of some benefit to you, my children, with an electronic copy to on-line extended family members. Any of you can ask me not to clutter your mail box at any time.

"What a week. This could turn into a real epistle if I were to write about all of the things that happened this week. However, I'm stuffed up with allergies, and don't feel up to struggling through writing a lot of words. It is already Wednesday morning, and it might be Friday or Saturday before I finish writing what I end up writing, just because there are so many different things going on in my life right now. The most important thing to write about is meeting our new Grandson, Grant Matthew Nelson, and particpating in his blessing.

Well it is Sunday evening and I'm ready to continue writing what I started on Wednesday. When we got back from Utah Monday evening, I started sneezing and having an allergy attack, which has worn me out this week. Oh well! So what happened from the 10th to the 17th of March? Lots and lots.

Monday was my one day at AAPG this year. I went to the VGP (Visiting Geologist Program) breakfast meeting. They are collecting statistics from oil companies and contractors as to what is important in future employees. Ethics is the #2 soft skill. Technical skills was #1. Team Skills was #3. Summarization skills was #4. As I interpret the data, the most important thing someone looking for a job can do is to study hard in their discipline, and the second, third, and fourth most important thing for them to do is to go on a mission and learn ethics, team skills, and how to summarize complex multilevel meanings in an understandable way by thinking on their feet while being grilled by someone who disagrees with what they are saying. I think Paul included both points in Grant Matthew Nelson's blessing on Sunday. The VPG meeting was at the Hyatt Regency, and so I just parked there and road the bus over to the George Brown Convention Center.

John Masters, founder of Canadian Hunter (../0124.html), was on the same bus. I cornered him after we got off the bus, and we ended up spending about 5 hours together. He has started a new business that is contracted to Chuck Edward's company, CDX. He is interested in rocks, cores, cuttings, and other hard data. The registration line was over an hour long, and he talked to me all the time we were in line. It was a great discussion, because he is one of those geoscientists that thinks like I do. I took him to see Sam LeRoy's Brazil prospect. Then we went to the GeoServices booth and saw Christian Singfield's cuttings scanner. We spent a long time in the booth, and quite upset the guy from GeoServices for monopolizing his booth. Oh well! We went to find his old director of Research, who now lives in Salt Lake. Missed him. Ate lunch with Mike Forrest. Then went back to look for his friend. John spent a lot of time in the booth later in the week. Christian ended up driving his device to and had meetings with John and his technical team Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week. We should actually get down to a business agreement this next week.

I spent most of the rest of the show with Horace Snyder, and getting people lined up for Horace to meet. Tuesday I was getting a presentation together, and ended up coordinating meetings for Horace on the SEG floor. We flew to Las Vegas Tuesday evening. There was a big wreck on the Katy Freeway, we stopped to pick up Rachel's Senior photos, and there was another stopped truck at 610 and I-45. We were only at the airport 1/2 hour early. I dropped everyone off, went and parked the car, and got back just as they got the bags checked in. We got to Cedar City about 1:00 AM Houston time. At 8:00 AM Utah time, I was having a conference call between Horace Snyder and Scott Sechrist on my cell phone, setting up a meeting between them on the floor of the AAPG Convention in Houston about an hour later. Technology today really is phenominal. It has only been 35 years since I was spending this time of the year on a tractor in Cedar Valley, sure that I would never make it up town to spend time with any of the cute girls I was interested in back in 1968 (yes, back when Andrea was only 13). And now I can just barely imagine what experiences will accompany fullfillment of Grant Matthew Nelson's blessing over the next 35 years.

Wednesday, Matt and I borrowed a 22 from Gary, out at Gary's Texaco, and went Jack Rabbit hunting out by Rush Lake. It was cold, and a snow storm blew in while we out there. We saw 4 or 5 rabbits, and Matt shot off a box of 50 22 shells. To the right is one of his better poses. Then we met Mom and Rachel, Audrey and Heather, at the SUU library. Rachel likes the scenery (boys) at SUU. Rachel applied for a job for the summer. I visited with Ray Gardner about a Science Center a group in St. George is hoping to build down in Hurricane. It is a neat project. In the evening we had a nice family dinner at Sara and Des' house, and even got in a good game of Charades. Des promised not to act out `The Birth of a Nation,' and Sara stumped the guys with `Bippity, Boppity, Boo.' I acted out `The Matrix in 8 seconds, and Rachel guessed `Silence of the Lambs' in 6 seconds. Oh well! It was a lot of fun. I look forward to having these sessions with grandkids.

Thursday Andrea, Rachel, and I went to St. George, via La Verkin, after scraping 6 inches of snow off of the rental Caravan. We met the people who run a home there. Sara and I believe Mom would be happier here, than Porter's. We took Mom to lunch at Hunan's. Mom, it was sure good to see you. I think the last few months is the longest gap in a visit there has been since your stroke. Hopefully we will get the finances under control and get back on a more regular schedule. Aunt Luana, Uncle Lloyd, and Uncle Tony, I'm sorry we didn't make it by to see you on this visit. Next time. I dropped off Rachel and Andrea at Carole's place, and spent the next couple of hours talking about the Hurricane Science Center. I expect I will write more about this in the future. I then got a small strawberry-rasberry malt at Larson's (a known addiction). We met at Russell's new office. We were late getting back to Cedar for Audrey's debate for Student-Body Vice-President. Oh well! We got to see her sitting up front of all of the TV cameras in her neat suit. Quite an accomplishment just to run for an office like this.

Friday morning we were up early and left for Provo by 6:30. We arrived about 10:00. Andrea dropped me off and took Matt to Randy's and Rachel to Salt Lake. They went to Temple Square and saw Amy Williams, who just started to serve her mission there. They went around a corner and saw Marie, Amy's sister and Melanie's friend, and watched the crys and hugs. I walked over to the Eyring Science Center on BYU's Campus. On the way Scott Sechrist called, and we had a 15 minute conversation about all of the opportunities he has dug up for Horace Snyder and company. Then I went upstairs and met Dr. Scott Ritter. Big guy. Nice guy. He asked me what I found out when I asked my friends if I should apply at BYU. Told him my cousin Darrell Krueger, President of Winona State University told me I would not fit in. Then told him I see three problems:

  1. I don't have a PhD.
  2. I don't work well in bureaurcracies.
  3. I've been divorced.

He kindly discounted #3, and we talked about the others. I spent a half an hour reworking my `Impending Obsolesence of Maps' presentation, adding an image that shows mesoamerica turned with east to the top of the map, as per `A Forest of Kings' where it says East or the rising sun was always up on Mayan maps, and shows a definite narrow strip of land and a sea to the east and a sea to the west. No one commented about this image in my presentation. I went to lunch with 7 of the faculty. Most were younger than me. Mostly they were interested in talking about who won at some college basketball game. We had a reasonable discussion over lunch about my background. When we got back I gave my presentation. They had planned on about 20 attendees, based on the room. There were about 60 folks in the audience. The questions were good, and it was a fun group to talk to. Randy came. Dr. Ritter said goodby here, and I went with Randy over to his office. I have not heard anything from BYU since. Oh well! I did send them a note telling them thanks for letting me visit and give a presentation there. We spent Friday night with Paul, Kate, and Grant, while Rachel and Matt went out and played with their cousins.

Saturday I went up to Salt Lake and spent a couple of hours with Parker Gay. I sure hope we get funding to pursue his ideas. They are really exciting geologically sound projects. I guess time will tell. I got back to Paul and Kate's in time to take them and Andrea to two movies: `The Other Side of Heaven,' and `Single's Ward.' I highly recommend both. The first is the real experiencs of a current General Authority on his mission in Tonga in the 1950's. When the local girl dropped her skirt and he said, `This would never happen in Bosie,' it reminded me of an experience with a divorcee we baptized in Sawbridgeworth, outside of Harlow New Town on my mission. Of course, we didn't have hurricanes, and some of the other traumas of the mission in England. It rang true. The second is a farce. Imagine Steve Young advising a young man who is 25 and not married, by quoting Brigham Young as saying, `Any man who is not married by the time he is 25 years old is a menace to society!' It was Grant's first time out to the movies too. I think Kate was ready to be able to get out. It was a good evening for me. Paul has a member of his ward and of his home owner's association that is causing him some grief, and, Paul, I felt you were distracted. It reminded me of when I was Elder's Quorum President in Dallas, and a truck driver in my Quorum, named Mike Felan, decided to second guess everything I did. It was hard with small boys, a new job, going to school at night, and doing all of the work involved in an Elder's Quorum with over 150% annual turnover rate. I recall one particularly hard Sunday where our Bishop, whom I love to this day, and who was a Master Sargent in the Marines training kids to go to Viet Nam before moving to Dallas, where he `dressed down' the priesthood. Among other things he told us that if he ever found any of us had ever hit our wives he would personally hang us up by our scrotum. When he finished, he turned to me and said, `Elder Nelson, I now turn the time over to you as the Elder's Quorum President.' I gave announcements about the Stake Farm and dismissed the group for classes. I recall Mike Felan coming up to me and saying how inspired the Bishop's comments were, and realizing that all of the baloney he had been giving me was because his life was not right with the Lord. Paul, this kind of guy will float in and out of your life, and you just have to love them, and make sure they don't get to your family. They are the Bill Rollwitzes of the world. Satan is alive and well, and he works extra hard to attack those who are striving to follow the word.

Sunday we woke up to another 5 inches of snow on the gray Caravan (a free upgrade from a midsized car because they were out of midsized cars in Las Vegas). We went to church with Randy and family. It was good to see Russell Gray, Ed Gray's brother. He is in Randy's High Priest Quorum, and we worked together back in the late 1980's when he was at Texaco in Canada and I was at Landmark. It is always an ego boost to see folks who have lots of nice things to say about us. Then we went to Paul and Kate's, were we we were served a St. Patrick's day feast: green chicken fettuchine, asparagus, broccoli with green ranch dressing, lime jello, green apples, pears, celery, and kiwi with green fruit dip (marshmallow cream and cream cheese), and limeade, etc. The room was decorated with green streamers, and Kate's family from St. George and Boise were there. They didn't eat, and were serving us. It felt backwards. Kate was busy getting Grant ready. Paul had two rows scotch taped off at the front of the building, and the speakers mentioned they thought they were speaking at a funeral when they arrived. Randy and his family joined Kate's family and us. Steve Joseph drove down. Grant Matthew Nelson's blessing was a very special event. I took several photos afterwards, and to the left is my favorite for your perusual. The others will eventually be downloaded to www.walden3d.com/photos/Family/03_PaulKate.

As I listened to the promises Paul pronounced by the power of the priesthood, I could hear the promises pronounced upon each of you kids by myself or others. I recall having a lady who took dictation take down Roice's blessing. I recall recording Ben and Paul's blessings. Melanie, Sara, and Rob were all born in the covenant, and were given a priesthood blessing at birth. Hopefully I will find transcrips of all of these events when I clean out the boxes in the garage. Of course, I was not at Heather, Audrey, Rachel, nor Matt's blessings. I'm sure there was no less sincere intent with any of these blessings. And of course, all priesthood blessings are dependent upon our faith and our own freewill and choice. And I continue to hope all of the promises made at the time of your individual blessings come to pass in each of your lives, just as I hope the wonderful promises come to pass, as were mouthed by Paul in Grant Matthew Melson's blessing.

Grant, I'm going to include the following, which your Dad sent to me earlier this evening, in this Thoughtlet, so you can reflect on your wonderful heritage when you are older. This describes your Dad's recent experiences at the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympics:

`Dad and I guess family as well, I thought I would write a little bit about my Olympic adventure for posterity's sake. What a neat experience. I was chosen to be one of two translators for the Men's Belarusian Olympic Ice Hockey Team. Our actual title was host/translator. We were issued an eight passenger Astro van and a cell phone and told to stay with the team during all waking hours and resolve all crises as they present themselves. Well, there was not much training to prepare us to deal with unexpected problems, but we did our best. The tournament for the gold was divided into several sub tournaments. Two initial tournament of four were played. The winner from each bracket of four advanced into the final tournament of eight. My team was one of the two teams that advanced into the final eight. Everyone expected us to loose in the single elimination round. Understand when I say "us" am counting myself as one of the Belarusians. Over the three weeks that I worked with them, I did become one of them. Well we were matched up against Sweden in the quarterfinal single elimination round. Sweden was picked by many, including all of my friends, to win the gold. People are calling Belarus's win over Sweden one of the top three greatest upsets in hockey history. With the win Belarus was guaranteed at least to come in fourth which is where we finished. Well I think that gives you enough background on what I did, now let me tell you the good stuff. I got to go to over 25 hockey games. When our team was not playing I took the coaches to watch other teams, "the competition", play. I spent a lot of time with the coaches. When we were not at games, I would take the coaches shopping, sightseeing, and on any other errands that they had. I had a chance to meet a lot of very interesting people. I sat by Sara Hughes at the gold medal game and met New York Mayor Rudi Juliani there as well. I translated to Wayne Gretsky. I talked with Joe Sakik, Steve Yzerman, John LeClair, Mike Leavitt, the Canadian figure skating couple that got awarded the second gold, and others. I had access to go anywhere hockey related. I kind of felt like a hot shot. Don't get me wrong, I am glad that it is over. It was a lot of work. The other translator and I traded off shifts every other day. My shifts ranged from 14 to 24 hours. I was going to school at the same time, working, president of my condo association, and in the bishopric. I didn't think that I was going to make it for a while. I have managed to recover in school and life. Kate is glad to have her husband back. Translating was a very neat experience, but by far the neatest thing that happened was the following. This is a paper that I wrote for my marriage and family relations class at BYU. I thought I would interject it here, because it was written right after I finished with the team and shows the power of the principle of being a good example that my Dad taught me. Paul Nelson Religion 234C - Sec 004 (Marrieds) - 10:00 Mon., Wed. 13 February 2002 "Why Marriage?" I thought a lot about marriage and this class over the Olympic break. I spent the past month translating for the Belarus Men's Ice-Hockey Team. Young Russian men are not the chastest people I have met. Around Saturday the sixteenth of February, I was at the airport picking up an NHL hockey player that was joining the team for the quarterfinal round of the Olympics. I was accompanied by one trainer to meet this NHL player at the airport. As we waited, a SLOC transportation volunteer, who happened to be a native Russian, came over and began to talk to the trainer and myself in Russian. As we got acquainted I learned that he was my same age and studying at Weber State University. The trainer I was with informed this young Russian fellow that I was married and had a two month old son. Almost angrily, he turned to me and in an aggressive tone of voice asked two or three times in a row, "Why do you need that in your life?" I kind of laughed off his questions and tried to avoid making a scene. Just then the player we were waiting for arrived. His repeated question kept popping up in my mind the rest of the day. I was sad that I didn't have some profound, witty, life-changing answer ready to spit out in response. The rest of that day and week I thought about how much meaning and purpose I have in my life thanks to my family. My studies and work are all a means to and end of serving my family. As I worked with these Russian coaches and players, I realized how important this class is in my life right now. As was said in class, "the Prophets are talking the talk [about Latter-Day Saints having great families] and we must walk the walk! By volunteering for the Olympic I definitely took on too much, but I am grateful for the lessons that I learned. In class, we discussed many of the problems that are attacking marriage and I think that these problems are all ten times worse in Russia. What a sweet, powerful people. The adversary has worked hard to keep them in bondage, in fear of their potential. The night before the team flew home, which was the day of the bronze medal game that the team played in, the eight main coaches, trainers, doctors, and I were sitting around reminiscing on what a good time we had together. The assistant head coach turned to me and said, "Paul, I cannot figure you out. We can't get you to drink, smoke, swear, or to even suggest that you might fool around with another girl besides your wife. What are your motivations really?" I explained to him that this was my faith and what I believed in. He said, "I see the greatness of your faith and want my children to learn of it, you can send your missionaries to me." I asked if anyone else was interested and three other coaches told me I could have missionaries sent to them as well. Over my three weeks of working with them, I realized more than ever the natural desire we all have to belong to a righteous family. I understand why the Prophets are talking the talk on families. I also had a great realization as to the great responsibility placed on us to be examples of the gospel to all of those around us. You never know when you will be called upon to witness of the truthfulness of the gospel. I don't think that this description does any justice to what I actually experienced, but I thought that I would give it a try. I do have some video and pictures that I plan to get on the web, once I learn how. I will talk to you all soon. Love, Paul Nelson'

And to me, these words nicely summarize what is really behind Grant Matthew Nelson's blessing."

I'm interested in sharing weekly a "thoughtlet" (little statements of big thoughts which mean a lot to me) with you because I know how important the written word can be. I am concerned about how easy it is to drift and forget our roots and our potential among all of distractions of daily life. To download any of these thoughtlets go to http://www.walden3d.com/thoughtlets or e-mail me at rnelson@walden3d.com.

With all my love,
Dad
(H. Roice Nelson, Jr.)

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Copyright © 2002 H. Roice Nelson, Jr.